1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to accessories for vehicles and more specifically to a foldable roof panel which may be readily installed and removed from a vehicle top for enclosing same and particularly for vehicles having what is commonly known as a TARGA top.
2. Prior Art
Removable panels have been provided in the prior art wherein a pair of panels are disclosed in association with vehicle door openings at opposite sides of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,556,062 and 4,120,529 disclosed examples of such panels. Such removable panels are commonly referred to as T-Tops or Hatch Tops and include rigid and heavy panel portions that are adapted to enclose the roof access openings which define the T-Top or Hatch Top configurations. The roof panels such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,529 are large, relatively heavy and are difficult to use. In fact, because of their size and weight, they must typically be stored either in the trunk of the vehicle or left in storage facility such as a garage or the like. The roof panels for TARGA tops are typically even heavier and more cumbersome because they must cover a larger, continuous unitary opening as compared to T-Top roof panels. One of the principal disadvantages of such prior art, heavy and large roof panels, is the difficulty and time required to remove and then re-install such tops. Accordingly, many users are simply reluctant to remove them to begin with. This reluctance on the part of the user to remove the roof panels defeats the entire purpose of such roof configurations. It would therefore be desirable to provide a roof panel structure for TARGA tops which is relatively easy to manufacture inexpensively to permit the users of such TARGA top configured vehicles to quickly enclose the access opening without the need for having to utilize the more permanent and heavier roof panel that is provided by the manufacturer. One prior art attempt at solving this need as it relates to T-tops is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,150 which discloses the use of a wire frame which is foldable and a flexible fabric or plastic material stretched across the wire frame when the panel is unfolded. Unfortunately, such wire frame/fabric or plastic combination may tend to be too flimsy and provide insufficient structure to securely enclose a larger TARGA top opening, particularly at high speeds wherein wind induces extremely high forces that at the very least cause a rippling effect of the fabric stretched across the wire frame and at the worst could cause some form of structural damage to the frame or fabric covering. Furthermore, a lightweight fabric secured across a foldable wire frame generally gives the appearance of a convertible-type top and not the appearance of a permanent-type top or hard top which is more desirable from an aesthetic point of view.
Other relevant prior art known to the applicant herein includes: U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,877 which discloses a TARGA-type top which has a rigid frame and an accordian style folding flexible cover forming a relatively complex and unwieldy structure; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,155 which discloses T-Top vehicle roof panels involving vehicle body cutting and reinforcement.
Thus there still exists a need for an inexpensive, relatively lightweight, foldable roof panel configuration for TARGA top vehicles, but which nevertheless is of sufficient structural integrity to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of the more recently issued prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,330,150 and the prior art referenced therein.